PENTLAND HILLS. AKA and see "The Battle of Pentland Hills." Scottish, Slow Air (3/4 time). G Major. Standard. AAB (Hardie): AABBCCDD (Johnson). Composed by James Oswald (1711-69) of Dumfermline and published in his Caledonian Pocket Companion (1747-c.1769). Oswald lived varioulsy in Edinburgh and, to the Scottish capitol's loss, from 1741 in London where he was a dancing master, singer, composer and music publisher. Johnson (1984) thinks it probably dates to the time of Oswald's Edinburgh years in the late 1730's. It also appears in Davie's Caledonian Repository (1829, 1850) and in Flores Musicae (where the title is perhaps mistakenly "The Battle of Pentland Hills"--there was a battle in those hills {at Rullion Green in 1666}, says Johnson, but the tune is clearly a pastoral air and not a battle piece). The Pentlands are a range of hills south-west of Edinburgh which were used for hunting and hawking in the days of King Robert the Bruce in the early part of the 14th century. Neil (1991) anecdotally relates:
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The story of the 'Pentland Deer Hunt' is described by Will Grand
(FSA Scotland). Sir William wagered with King Robert that the
two royal hounds, 'Help' and 'Hold', would kill a white deer,
released for the dogs to chase 'before she crossed the March
Burn in Glencorse valley or forfeit his life.' Fortunately St.
Clair won the wager and 'in gratitude for his deliverance', he
is said to have built the Church of St. Katherine-in-the-Hopes.
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Source for notated version: Flores Musicae, 1773-c.1775 (pg. 53) [Johnson]. Davies, Caledonian Repository (Book 1, 2nd Series), 1850. Hardie (Caledonian Companion), 1992; pg. 46. Johnson (Scottish Fiddle Music in the 18th Century), 1984; No. 21, pgs. 51-52. Neil (The Scots Fiddle), 1991; No. 19, pg. 25.